Police: Facebook argument led to murder

It appears that Wednesday night’s fatal shooting that claimed the life of Michael Robinson of Cedartown stemmed from an argument on social media.

According to Cedartown Police Chief Jamie Newsome, investigators say Robinson and the suspect, John Paul Jones, both former police officers themselves, exchanged words on a Facebook post.

“The two of them were in some kind of altercation on Facebook and then it escalated,” said Newsome.

Robinson was on the way to see Jones when he was allegedly gunned down by Jones who was waiting for him to arrive at the Woodlawn Drive/Fair Oaks neighborhood.

“We found that Michael Robinson had been shot several times and were quickly able to identify a suspect and he was arrested at the scene without incident,” Newsome. “Initially, word may have gotten out that he had barricaded himself and there might have been a standoff situation, but that was not the case. We contacted him by phone and he surrendered.”

Jones was charged initially with felony murder, but Newsome said additional charges are expected to be added later, including aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime.

Jones was a former member of the Polk County Police Department and was fired after an altercation with another police officer.

Newsome said there is no evidence linking his law enforcement career to the events of Wednesday night.